Most video gamers only play video games and don’t really think about what goes on behind the scenes to make those games good (or bad). From the concept phases, the writing, the vertical slice pitches, to hardcore development, refining and more, it’s a long process. And obviously, we’ve come a LONG way since the original series of consoles. The latest of which that will be coming out soon are the Xbox Series X and the PS5.
Both systems are touting the highest-power graphics possible, including using the new Unreal Engine 5 to help boost things even more. And early indications are that these could indeed be very stunning titles. But there is a cost to that as one developer has noted.
According to Ryan Shah, CEO and lead programmer of Kitatus and Friends, Unreal Engine 5’s new micro-polygon rendering system will in particular translate to game file sizes increasing. He noted this to WccfTech, and noted that even now we’re seeing those kinds of things via games like Call of Duty Warzone, which people are already complaining about in terms of how large the file-size is. And that’s on a “current-gen” system, now imagine it on a system using Unreal Engine 5 with more pristine graphics and rendering abilities.
Now, for some, this may not seem like an issue, especially considering that most by games physically and thus data sizes don’t seem to matter. But they do. In fact, the higher a file size, the more a disk can be pushed to its limit, and it might be that certain games may have to have 2+ discs to contain the entire game.
What’s more, downloading digitally with these massive file sizes means LONG wait times for those wanting to play if they don’t download it early.
Just how bad it will get is up for debate, but it is definitely something to keep an eye on as we get closer to the PS5 and Xbox Series X release date.
